


Whumptober 2020 - 31 - Leave No Man Behind

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [31]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Left to die, Pre-Series, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: “No!” he exclaimed, poorly disguised terror obvious in his tone. “Don’t want to be left behind.”
Series: Whumptober 2020 [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 31 - Leave No Man Behind

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last of my Whumptober 2020 prompt fics, marking the end of a couple crazy months of writing and indulging my love of whump. Thank you to everyone who read, commented and left kudos, and to AZGirl who kindly agreed to proof all 31 fics, and offered valuable help and suggestions along the way. Hope you enjoy this last story!

They approached cautiously, knowing that no matter how injured, their friend would still be somewhat aware of his surroundings, making him dangerous.

Nuzo led the way to the back of the cave where they could see Magnum kneeling, his arms restrained behind him and connected to the wall. The length of the chain connecting his wrists to the wall kept him from moving around, while the height of its placement where it attached to the wall forced him into a bent position as his arms were pulled uncomfortably upwards.

Despite the low light, the SEAL was kept blind by a dark cloth sack that was tied at his neck, and his current lack of sight would only make things harder for his friends who were there to rescue him. Magnum’s shoes, socks, and shirt were gone, leaving him in nothing but his pants. As Nuzo got closer, he could see the fine tremors running along his friend’s spine in the beam of his flashlight, not to mention the outline of his ribs after being held by the enemy for over a week.

Sebastian motioned to Rick to circle around in front of Magnum, so he’d be seen once they’d removed the hood from their friend’s head. TC maintained his position nearer the entrance to the cave; he was their last line of defense if the rest of the SEAL Team escorting them was somehow overrun.

Letting his weapon hang by its strap, Nuzo stepped softly closer, noting the minute tensing of Magnum’s muscles as he became aware of someone’s approach. Despite their current window of opportunity to rescue the man, there were still others around, and they could ill afford for Magnum to make a fuss when they released him.

Stepping closer, Nuzo slipped quickly and silently in behind his friend, one arm wrapping itself around Magnum’s slim shoulders while his other hand clamped firmly across the man’s mouth. Speaking softly, Sebastian said, “It’s us, brother, but you need to stay quiet. We’re safe for the moment, but that could change in a heartbeat.”

Magnum had stiffened at Nuzo’s touch, but slowly relaxed into his friend’s hold at hearing the man’s instructions. Sebastian’s fingers worked to untie the rope at the nape of the SEAL’s neck, pausing to offer his friend additional direction when he was ready to remove the hood. “There’s not much light, but you’ll still want to take it slow.” They were all unfortunately too familiar with how sensitive one’s eyes could be after being blindfolded for so long.

Nuzo slipped the hood from their friend’s head, Magnum taking a sharp, quick breath as soon as it was gone and savouring his first taste of somewhat fresh air in over a week. Now that Thomas could see, Rick slowly approached, the SEAL still shifting backwards slightly until he’d recognized the other man. In the meantime, Sebastian was trying out the key they’d found on one of the dead men holding their friend, grunting in irritation when it refused to fit the lock.

“Switch,” Nuzo said abruptly to Rick over Magnum’s shoulder. While Wright attempted to pick the lock with skills he’d learned during a misspent childhood, Sebastian crouched in front of the kneeling man. He tipped Thomas’ chin up only slightly in deference to the awkward position he was still forced to maintain.

“Walk or carry?” Sebastian asked, watching as Magnum’s eyes darted away from his as he considered the question. In the dimness of the space, it was hard to get a good read on the SEAL’s injuries, but Nuzo had already noted the deep bruising that covered Magnum’s bare back and the trail of dried blood that coated the left side of his face.

Dry, cracked lips parted as Thomas replied, “Walk.”

Sebastian nodded even though Magnum’s face was once more turned towards the ground, his position making it painful to maintain eye contact. A soft click announced Thomas’ release as Wright unlocked the shackles around their friend’s wrists. Nuzo quickly lifted his hands up and caught Magnum falling toward him, shifting a moment later to embrace him instead.

Thomas leaned into the hold, his face pressed against his friend’s solid shoulder as he clenched his eyes closed against the pain in his arms. He’d been in the same position for 23 out of every 24 hours, only freed twice each day to relieve himself and to consume a small amount of brackish water. Each time he’d been released, the pain had been worse than the time before, but being restrained again had had him nearly crying out in agony. Then, abruptly, those sojourns had ended what seemed like several days ago, and he’d been locked into that position ever since.

Nuzo gave the man a minute, wishing he could offer more, but knowing their window to leave could close at any moment with their discovery. Leaning his head closer to Magnum’s ear, he asked, “Injuries?”

“Yeah, a few,” Thomas rasped out, letting Sebastian know with the sarcastic comment that his capture hadn’t extinguished his spirit.

“Any that I need to know about now, smartass?” Nuzo countered, unable to resist falling into the familiar and comforting banter that defined their relationship.

Magnum seemed to hesitate for a moment, his breathing hitching before he spoke, his reply muffled by his proximity to Sebastian’s shoulder. “M’ feet.”

Nuzo frowned at his friend’s answer, catching Rick’s gaze who was now standing by expectantly. “Trade,” he said to the man, already slowly easing Thomas back and away from his chest. “Snuggle with Wright for a few,” he teased Magnum, trying to make light of the fact that their friend was unlikely to be able to stay upright on his own.

Although remaining on his knees had to be uncomfortable for the SEAL, it was the perfect position for Nuzo to be able to examine the man’s feet. He swore viciously when he cast a flashlight downwards to reveal bloodied and torn skin; they’d sliced into the bottoms of his feet as an extra measure to keep him hobbled and unable to flee.

Sebastian began reaching for the bandages in his vest, intending to wrap Magnum’s feet before they moved out, but a voice through his comm had him stopping as they were advised of movement nearby. Swearing again, Nuzo stood and returned to face Magnum. “We’ve got to get going, but I don’t think you should be walking,” he began but Thomas interrupted him.

“I can walk,” the SEAL countered stubbornly.

Sebastian worried his bottom lip as he considered the consequences of what his friend was proposing: infection, dirt and debris irritating the wounds, not to mention the pain of walking on shredded feet. Magnum determinedly took the decision from his hands as he began to shift, using Rick’s proximity to claw his way upwards.

Seeing he had no choice, Nuzo resigned himself to help, and with Wright’s assistance, they managed to get Thomas to his feet. Each man ducking under a shoulder, Sebastian warned, “We’re stopping to wrap them as soon as there’s a chance.” Magnum gave a shaky nod in reply, too focused on not screaming at the feeling of walking on hot coals.

With a quick word to TC to let the man know they were coming, they moved forward, Calvin automatically taking point and leading them from the cave while other SEALs slowly appeared from the darkness to surround them. Despite Magnum’s poor condition, they moved swiftly, Nuzo and Rick practically carrying their friend in their need to get to safety.

They continued in that manner for nearly fifteen minutes, Thomas making a valiant attempt to take some of his own weight and walk while at the same time, clamping down on the sounds of his suffering. When they deemed it safe to stop, Nuzo and Rick lowered Magnum to the ground, leaning him against a tree with his legs outstretched.

While it would normally be up to the team’s medic to treat Magnum’s wounds, they’d agreed prior to the start of the mission that the SEAL was likely to be on edge after his captivity and would do best with familiar faces. That left Thomas’ wounds in Nuzo’s hands, and he gave TC a grateful nod as the man dropped the bag of medical supplies at Magnum’s feet.

While Sebastian dug around for the items he’d need, Calvin pulled an extra shirt from his pack, and he and Rick helped Magnum slip his arms into the sleeves. Once it had been buttoned, Wright added an emergency blanket around the injured man’s shoulders to stave off the night’s chill. Next, they made Thomas drink, which he did happily, having no memory of the last time he’d had any water.

Calvin settled himself at Magnum’s side, happily offering his hand to squeeze when Sebastian began picking out the largest pieces of debris. He could already see signs of infection and muttered to himself unhappily; there was really nothing much that could be done for the man until they got back to base. He finished by wrapping both feet in a thick wad of gauze, the bandaging as much to protect the wounds as it was to cushion the man’s footfalls.

“That’s all I can do,” Nuzo announced as he closed up the medical bag.

Magnum met his gaze through glazed, pain filled eyes, the orbs appearing sunken in his pale, too-thin face. “’S good,” he mumbled, still somewhat breathless from the agony of having his feet tended.

“Sure you are,” TC replied beside him, his lips turning upwards slightly with amusement.

“I’m gonna go have a quick confab with the captain,” Sebastian stated as he rose, wanting to find out if they had any other options for a closer extraction point.

Now that some of the adrenaline from their initial escape was wearing off, the days of mistreatment were catching up to Magnum, and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Noting the man’s slow blinks and increasingly unfocused gaze, Rick suggested, “It’s okay to rest for a few.” Magnum didn’t even reply, simply resting his head against the tree at his back and slipping into a light doze.

“He looks like hell,” TC remarked softly.

Rick nodded in agreement, his anger from seeing how Magnum had been restrained barely dimming in the time since they’d exited the cave. “Every time I think we’ve seen the worst that humanity has to offer, we run into something like this,” he muttered.

“War ain’t pretty,” Calvin agreed. “And desperation has a tendency to bring out the worst in people, as we well know.”

Between them, Magnum began to twitch, his eyes shifting rapidly beneath closed lids. Even in sleep, the lines of pain around his eyes remained, reminding them of how much he’d suffered while they’d been apart. Worried that he might inadvertently hurt himself as he dreamed, TC squeezed the hand he still held, calling softly to the man to wake him. “TM, you’re safe. Come on back to us, brother.”

Despite TC’s care in waking the man, Magnum came back to awareness with a gasp, his free hand immediately moving to cradle his left flank, where both men had earlier seen a mass of dark bruising. Thomas was clinging tightly to Calvin’s hand as his eyes darted around in a panic, but despite that, he didn’t make a sound.

“You’re safe now, Tommy,” Rick repeated TC’s earlier words. He was about to say more when he spotted Nuzo returning, the man wearing a look of disgust on his face.

“What is it?” TC asked, having also noted the man’s unhappy expression.

“There’s no chance of a closer exfil site,” he replied, clearly concerned about Magnum’s condition and his ability to cover another two miles to their designated extraction point. “The only other option is to send most of the unit ahead, while we wait here. It’s possible that if they leave us behind….”

Thomas inhaled sharply at Nuzo’s words, interrupting them as soon as they’d left his mouth. “No!” he exclaimed, poorly disguised terror obvious in his tone. “Don’t want to be left behind.”

The three friends traded confused glances, until comprehension slowly dawned for Nuzo. “Thomas, when was the last time someone questioned you?”

Magnum shook his head, his words uncertain when they finally came. “Don’ know,” he mumbled. “Was always someone before, but lately….” He trailed off for a few moments before continuing. “Been a while.” Without daylight, he’d had no way to gauge the passage of time, but some innate sense told him he’d been left alone for at least three days; that knowledge had brought a whole new horror to his captivity when he realized he’d been left to die.

Slowly, Sebastian nodded, acknowledging that there was no way Magnum was mentally ready to accept the idea of staying behind, even with the three of them. “We need to get you ready to move, and if I decide you get carried, you don’t argue; capisce?”

“Yeah,” Thomas breathed out as he nodded, the tension in his chest slowly unknotting at his friend’s words. “I got it.”

“Good.” Nuzo’s voice softened as he added. “And for the record, we’d never leave you behind.” He held Magnum’s gaze until he saw some of the fear dissipate, and the confidence he had in his brothers reappear.

Grinning at Magnum, Nuzo said, “Okay, let’s get this sorry excuse for a SEAL ready to move out.” The grin he got in return was all he needed to know that Thomas would be alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing this story; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This story was based on the day 31 prompt: Today’s special: torture : experiment / whipped / left for dead
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


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